Providence Canyon
Located about 45 miles south of Columbus in Lumpkin, Georgia, Providence Canyon State Park is a thousand acre park located just miles from the Alabama border. Situated several miles off the main highway cutting through a very unpopulated region of the southwest Georgia, the park is largely vacant which makes it easy to get around in. When you arrive you drive by the abandoned church that served the community that once lived in the area. The community sprung up after the 1825 Treaty of Indian Springs, but from the looks of the church must have never been much bigger than a few hundred people. The church is still open for walking around, and an old church bulletin still sitting on the pew looks like the last service occurred there in 1994. The interior of the church looks like it must have a century ago and the cemetery outside is home to many graves from the mid-19th Century.
After visiting the church you go just few hundred yards dwn the road to the park station, which was completely empty when we arrived. They ask for a $5 parking fee, but it is an honor system to pay. The trail begins just a few feet behind the station and winds down hill through wooded areas. After a descent into the valley you cross over several river beds. These river beds are you access into the canyon if you want to hike the bottom. If you want to continue on the trail continues to wind for more than a mile past abandoned homesteads left by the farmers who lived there into the 20th Century. There are also abandoned vehicles that have been there so long signs tell you they are an active part of the ecosystem. It is difficult in modern times to understand how they got these vehicles into such dense forests, but this all might have been stripped down farmland fifty years ago. You will also pass by some extended hike trails that require a pass from the ranger to go on. This area is so remote I'm sure they want to know if they ever need to go looking for someone.
Eventually your hike will bring you to the rim of the canyon where you will get your first look down into it. Caused by weak soil and poor farming practices, the canyon is more than 150 feet deep and is marked with little islands of plant life that rise up from the canyon floor. One has to wonder what allowed those areas to remain while just several feet away the floor just falls off the table. There are also vivid color changes in the canyon as erosion passes through different layers of soil. As you walk around there are several viewing points that give outstanding views of the canyon, even though some are now blocked by trees that have grown up from the canyon wall to block your view. While the beginning of the trail is largely wooded, most of the rim walk is uncovered so bring a hat or sunscreen. A warning, the railings on the viewing points look like they are ready to return to nature themselves, so be careful when walking out towards the edge.
The whole thing can be done in a hour, but if you want to spend more time hiking through the canyon floor you could easily spend an entire day out there. I recommend bringing some food and water with you as there are no stores or restaurants within any reasonable distance. If you have a free weekend day, or are ever passing through southwest Georgia take a few hours and check out this natural wonder that has been called the Little Grand Canyon. I'm not sure when I will be that way again, but hopefully next time we will get to spend a little more time hiking the canyon floor.
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